Such an apparatus was first described in NL-A-7112368, whose British equivalent has number GB-A-1373990. A further development of this apparatus is described in EP-B-0 467 480. The apparatus described in that specification is provided with a thermally insulated reservoir which is resistant to an excess pressure prevailing in the interior of the reservoir. The reservoir is provided with a supply conduit adjacent an underside of the reservoir which is designed for connection to the public water supply system, while in use, cold tap water is supplied from the public water supply system via the supply conduit to the reservoir, as soon as hot or boiling water is discharged from the reservoir. The reservoir further has a discharge conduit adjacent a top side of the reservoir via which discharge conduit, in use, hot or boiling water can be discharged from the reservoir. In the reservoir, an electric heating element is included. An outflow pipe is connected via a fluid communication to the discharge conduit. Further, a valve is provided. As stated in the specification, the valve can be provided with a spring biased valve member so that in case of an emergency, it can serve as a safety provision. How such a valve could be designed is not described in this specification. Neither is it described what type of emergency is intended. Independently of the foregoing, it is stated in the specification that the valve can be electrically operated. How this could be realized is not described in the specification either.
In practice, such an apparatus for dispensing boiling water is not put on the market with an electrically operable valve, and also it proves not to be simple to provide a reliable apparatus that keeps functioning in a reliable manner under the difficult conditions of dispensing boiling water.
The apparatuses of the firm of Peteri B.V which are put on the market under the brand name Quooker® are provided with a manually operated valve, more particularly a valve which is operated as a conventional tap water tap provided with a turning knob, albeit that it is provided with a safety provision. The safety provision entails that in order to be turned and hence opened, the turning knob is to be pressed-in against the spring bias. In this manner it is envisaged that the valve designed as tap can only be opened through a deliberate operation, i.e. simultaneously pressing-in and turning the turning knob of the tap. This safety provision is also described in EP0792970. With the Quookers sold in practice, an excess pressure safety provision of the reservoirs is provided on the so-called inlet combination. The inlet combination is an assembly of a number of connecting couplings and valves located upstream of the inlet of the reservoir. In the event of an excess pressure above a particular value in the reservoir, the pressure in the reservoir is reduced via the inlet combination. Steam may then be released into the sink cupboard.